"Effectively folk doesn't include trad, or only includes it as a slightly embarrassing distant relation."

With respect Pip I just don't see evidence of this in my neck of the woods or other places we get to around the UK (which includes alot of "performance clubs and festivals).

Most clubs present a good mix of trad and other stuff in my experience.

I can also point to a couple of clubs who have turned my better half down for gigs on the basis that she is not Trad enough (50%+ of her repertoire is trad & her own songs are generally trad styled)..... of course this might just have been a polite way of sayiong they didn't like her!